Slipper guide for crankless engines



June 1 1926.

T. L. SHERMAN SUPPER GUIDE FOR CRANKLESS ENGINES Filed April 27, 1925 Patented June 1, 1926.

UNITED STAT s PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS LOUIS snnnuan, or cAnLrmLn, vxc'ronm, AUSTRALIA, Assmnon TO GRANKLESS enemas LIMITED, or MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.

SLIPPEB GUIDE FOR CRANK LESS ENGINES.

Application filed 1pm 2?, m, Serial m. 26,316, and in Australia July 8 1924.

, The object of the present invention is an improved means for iding, or restraining the motion, of the shppers which form' the bearing elements between the pistons and slants or swash-plates of crankless engines such as are described, in the United States Patent No. 1,409,057 dated March 7, 1922.

Practical applications of the present invention are shown in the accompanying 1 drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of .a piston, including the improved device; Figs. 2 and 3 are cross sections respectively on ;of .Fig. .1; .Fig. 4 is a cross-section similar to Fig. 3, but showing a modification ofthe mprovement, consistmg of a variation of the .form of the guiding means, of which a detail is shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 6, shows another formof the ide-piece, alternative to the form shown in igs. 1 and 3, and Fig. '7 shows'still another form of the guide-piece. As shown in the drawings, particularly Fig. 11, the double-ended piston 5,5, coacts with the slant 1, of which a portion only is shown, (Fig. 1), through the slippers 11, 11

which. having spherical bosses 13, 14 are universally ivoted on the piston cups 15, 16. The above-mentioned parts are all similar to 'those described in said patent and indicated by corresponding numbers in the drawings, particularly Figs. 1, 5 -and 7,

attached thereto. As shown-in those figures the slippers 11, 11 are prevented from re- -'volving around the axes of the piston 5, 5, by being each furnished with an extension formed with a ball 55, engaging in a slot 53 0 formed in the bar or yokeieceu8 of the piston '5, 5. According to t e present invention the "extension2' of the slipper 11, is 4 made of cylindrical shape, the construction I in this particular being the same as that'd'escribedin the application Serial'No. 629,501 filed in the Umted ,States Patent Office, April .2, 1923. According to the latter, the

. slot in which the slipper-extension engages is formed in the yoke-piece of the piston. It

has however been found in practice that there is a difliculty in securing correct mutual alignment of the slipper-extension and 5 slot so as to ensure that the cylindrical extension shall bear on the side of the slot .along its whole length, thus securing the desired line-contact. In default of such alignment," point contact only, at one edge N. of the slot, is obtained. Similarly in the the lines II, 'II and III,'III.

of wear ofthe parts, by securing line or surface'contact by the use of special guidepleces now to be described. In the form of construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3,

the guide-pieces 3, 3, carried by the yokeportion 8 of the piston 5, 5, are formed with a slot 4, of rectangular section (Fig. 2) such slot receiving the corresponding cylindrical slipper extension 2. The slots 4 may extend completely through .the thickness d of the guide-pieces 3, or as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in order to give additional strength attheir sides, the depth of the slots may be less than the thickness of the guide-pieces. In either case it is necessary for satisfactory operation that the slots 1 shall be suiiiciently deep and 7 the extensions 2 sufiicientl long -for the latter to reach as far as, an at least a small distance beyond,.the axis of the guide-piece 3. The guide-pieces 3, 3, are housed in a longitudinal recess 6, formed in the yoke 8, and are retained in position endwise by cappieces 7, 7, secured to the inside of the piston as by'screws 9, 9. The guide-pieces 3, 3, are

vmounted so as to be free to rotate to at least some small extent about their longitudinal axes, as by being turned to cylindrical form on their external surface, fitting the recess 6, correspondingly bored to receive them.

The outer ends of the guide-pieces 3, may

extendv as shown- 'at 4, through the cappieces 7, 7, and these ends may thus provide additional hearings or the sole bearings'for the rotary movement of the guideieces. In order to prevent slackness of t e guidepieces 3, 3, in a longitudinal direction they 96 may be fitted with a common helical spring 10, inserted in axial holes in the ends'of the guide-pieces as shown in Fig. 1.

In the forms of construction of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and in Fig. 6 to be 100 referred to again hereinafter, the slipper extension 2 fits the slot 4 in the guide-piece 3, and in operation bears directly on one or other side of the slot. In the alternative construction" shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the 1 extension 2 is fitted with a block 12, bored to fit it, and having fiat sides 12*, 12", upon which it fits the slot 4. In the operation of this form of the device the extension 2 has while the latter has a purely sliding motion longitudinally in the slot 4, the bearing con-v tacts of both types of motion being effected over surfaces, instead of on a line as in the construction previously described. In the cated in Fig. 6.

.l t will be understood that the guide-pieces 3, 3, are made as two separate pieces in. order to allow of their aligning themselves independently to small variations of the slipper-extensions 2, 2. In some cases however, the piston pressure being exerted upon one side only of the slippers 11, 11 and at a time, it is permissible to combine the guideipieces 3, 3, into one, as indicated by 23, in *ig. 7. The extension piece 2, of the slipper which carries the piston load at any instant, then controls the rotation of the guide-pieces 23, by line-contact on one or other side of the slot, 24, and the extension piece of the other slipper is aligned by similar contact, slightly displacing the other slipper, which being free from load is able to take up the required position. In this modification a single extended slot 24, may be used, receiving both slipper extensions 2, 2, in lieu of separate slots 4 as shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 6.

It is to be understood that the application of the invention is not limited to double ended pistons as above described as it is equally applicable to a single-ended piston having an extension (equivalent to the yokeportion 8) to the opposite side of the slant from the piston which extension carries a second slipper. Such a construction is illustrated in Fig. 8, of said United States Patent No. 1,409,057, to which reference has been previously made herein.

I claim 1. In crankless engines of the type set forth, a slant, a piston element, a slipper articulated to said element and making lubricated working contact with the slant, a yoke extension on said piston element, a slipper guide element rotatable in said member about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the piston, a longitudinal slot it.- said member, and an extension on said slipper slidably engaging said slot.

2. In crankless engines of the type set forth, a slant, a piston element, ayoke extension on said element, a pair of guide members rotatable about a common longitudinal axis in said extension parallel to the longitudinal axis of the piston element, a longitudinal slot in each of said members, a pair of slippers articulated to said piston element one on either side of the slant and in lubricated working contact therewith, and a projection of each of said slippers slidable engaging with one of said slots.

3. In crankless engines of the type speci fied,-a slant, a piston element, a slipper articulated to said element and making lubricated Working contact with the slant, a yoke extension on said element, a projection on said slipper, a block mounted and rotatable upon said projection, a guide member in said yoke extension rotatable about an axis paralle to the piston element, and a longitudina slot in said guide member in slidable engage-- -mcnt with said block.

4. Incrankless engines f the type specitied, a slant, a piston element, a yoke extension on said element, a pair of slippers articulated to said element and loco-ted one on each side and in lubricated working contact with the'slant, a pair of guide members rotatable about a common longitudinal axis in said yoke extension 'paranel to the longitudinal axis of the piston element, a longitudinal slot in each o said guide members, a projection on each of said guide members, and a blockon each projection, each of said blocks in slidable engagement with one of said slots.

5. In crankless engines, a slant, a piston element, a slipper articulated to said element and making lubricated working contact with the slant, a yoke extension (in said piston element, a slipper guide block rotatable in said yoke member about an axis parallel to the longitudinal'axis of the piston, said block formed with a pair of oppositely disposed flat rides and a pair of oppositely disposed cylindrical sides, a longitudinal slotin sa1d'block,1 a projection on said slipper, a block mounted onand rotatable relative to the projection, said block slidably engaging with said slot. 1

' 6. In crankless engines, a slant, a piston element, a yoke extension on said element,

a pair of guide blocks rotatable about a common longitudinal axis in said yoke extension, said axis parallel to the lon itudinal axis of the piston element, a pair of slippers articulated to said piston element and lo cated one on each side and in lubricated working contact with the slant,'.a longitudinal slot in each of'said guide blocks, a

. pair of'oppositely disposed flat sides and a pair of oppositely disposed cylindrical sides on each of saidv guideblocks, a projection on each slipper and a block on each projection slidably engaging with one of said slots.

Dated this 26th day of March 1.925.

T. L. SHERMAN. 

